Career Details :: Offset Lithographic Press Setters and Set-Up Operators
Description
Set up or set up and operate offset printing press, either sheet or web fed, to print single and multicolor copy from lithographic plates. Examine job order to determine press operating time, quantity to be printed, and stock specifications.
Experience
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Education
A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Training
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Tasks
- Washes plate to remove protective gum coating.
- Measures paper thickness and adjusts space between blanket and impression cylinders according to thickness of paper stock.
- Applies packing sheets to blanket cylinder to build up blanket thickness to diameter of plate cylinder.
- Measures plate thickness and inserts packing sheets on plate cylinder to build up plate to printing height.
- Fills ink and dampening solution fountains, and adjusts controls to regulate flow of ink and dampening solution to plate cylinder.
- Makes adjustments to press throughout production run to maintain specific registration and color density.
- Installs and locks plate into position, using hand tools, to achieve pressure required for printing.
- Loads paper into feeder or installs rolls of paper, adjusts feeder and delivery mechanisms, and unloads printed material from delivery mechanism.
- Removes and cleans plate and cylinders.
- Examines job order to determine quantity to be printed, stock specifications, colors, and special printing instructions.
- Starts press and examines printed copy for ink density, position on paper, and registration.
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Important Abilities
General Work Activities
- Controlling Machines and Processes
- Handling and Moving Objects
- Monitor Processes, Material, Surroundings
- Getting Information Needed to Do the Job
- Estimating Needed Characteristics
Important Skills
Frequent Work Context
- Degree of Automation
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Importance of Being Sure All Is Done
- Indoors
- Consequence of Error
Related Majors
| Major | Add to XapPack |
|---|---|
| Electronic Publishing/Imaging |  [ add ] |
| Graphic Arts Technology | [ add ] |
| Graphic Communications Management | [ add ] |
| Graphic Communications Technology | [ add ] |
| Graphics Technology | [ add ] |
| Printing | [ add ] |
| Printing Management | [ add ] |
| Printing Production | [ add ] |
| Printing Technology | [ add ] |
| Printing/Applied Computer Science | [ add ] |
Institutions Offering Related Majors
No institutions found.